App Store: Apple gold store and app developers!

From Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve, Apple customers spent a total of $ 1.42 billion on apps, up 16% from 2018, Apple said on Wednesday. On New Year’s Day alone, the company says it has set a one-day sales record of $ 386 million for apps, up 20% annually.

For its part, app developers have earned more than $ 155 billion since the App Store opened in 2008, the company noted in a statement.

For iPhone users, the hottest free apps are YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Facebook Messenger. Among the paid apps, the top one is Facetune, a photo editing application for phones running on iOS or Android, followed by HotSchedules – employee scheduling application, and Weather forecast application DarkSky.

For gamers, “Mario Kart Tour”, “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “Fortnite” have made the list of top 10 free games. Mobile games like “Minecraft”, “Color Bump 3D” and “Stardew Valley” are among the top 10 paid games.

People are increasingly spending money on applications and application developers are also increasingly creating products in new ways to get paid. In total, in 2019, Apple’s App Store brought the company $ 54.2 billion in revenue, up 16.3% from the previous year and Android users on Google Play spent $ 29.3 billion, up 18.1% over 2018, according to data tracking company Sensor Tower. Google did not respond to requests for comment, while Apple did not provide App Store sales in its press release.

“In general, consumers are spending more on apps. Many are exploring the ability to make money more efficiently, helping to consolidate store profits,” says Randy Nelson, head of the store. Mobile device division at Sensor Tower, said.

Apple said on Wednesday that since 2008, developers have earned more than $ 155 billion and that a quarter of that revenue was generated by 2019, after “sharing” with Apple. from 15% to 30%.

Last year, Apple started launching a gaming subscription service called Apple Arcade, its news service Apple News +, its own Apple + TV service, and even expanded its financial services with Apple-branded credit card.

“2019 is the biggest year for services in Apple’s history,” said Eddy Cue, senior vice president of software and internet services for Apple. “We have introduced some exciting new experiences to our customers, and set a standard for our users’ privacy and security.”

There is currently little information on how many users are actually playing Arcade, owning an Apple Card or visiting Apple TV +. Although Apple says more than 100 million monthly active users in the US, UK, Australia and Canada have read Apple News, that number also includes anyone who access the platform for free.